A network may include an interconnection of multiple personal electronic media devices. The various media devices may be networked together in order to share data, increase convenience, and make fuller use of each element. However, conventional mechanisms prevent users from enjoying potential benefits of various elements and components, such as port multipliers, by limiting advanced features and operations of such port multipliers. For example, conventional mechanisms do not allow cascading of port multipliers, limiting a standard port multiplier to have only a single level of connecting devices. FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional mechanism that does not allow a port multiplier 104 to cascade and thus, merely a single level 116 of devices 106, 108 is allowed to be connected to the port multiplier 104 via two device ports 112, 114 of the port multiplier 104. The port multiplier 104 that is connected to a host 102 via a host port 110. Stated differently, the illustrated prior art technique does not allow for the port multiplier 104 to cascade into additional devices that can be coupled with the port multiplier 104. The 1:2 port multiplier 104 is limited to a single level 116 of no more than two devices 106, 108 which, consequently, limits the advanced features and several benefits of the port multiplier 104 and the illustrated network 100 employing the port multiplier 104.
The port multiplier 104 of FIG. 1 may include a Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (“SATA” or “Serial ATA”) port multiplier that is a SATA-IO standard-compliant port multiplier. SATA 1.0 specification and a later SATA II Port Multiplier specification are available at www.serialata.org. Serial ATA International Organization: Serial ATA Revision 2.5, 27 Oct. 2005 (available at www.serialata.org) is a revision of earlier SATA specifications and includes information about a SATA port multiplier in, for example, chapter 16. The net result is that the consumer is not able to obtain an easy-to-use low-cost port multiplier capable of providing high-end features and benefits because it is not allowed to cascade.